Category: Peterborough

NHS Peterborough – MP Condemns Consultancy Spending

07:28 Friday 8th July 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Millions of pounds to consultants. NHS Peterborough spent more than £1.3 million on consultants in the last year, the second highest out of all the PCTs in England, even though they had to make a £2 million reduction in running costs by April 2012. The figures have been revealed through an FOI, Freedom of Information request, submitted by medical magazine Pulse. Richard Hoey is the Editor. Morning Richard.
RICHARD HOEY: Good morning.
PAUL STAINTON: That’s a heck of a lot of cash. Tell us more. Continue reading “NHS Peterborough – MP Condemns Consultancy Spending”

Peterborough City Council and Geoffrey Osborne Limited

07:20 Friday 8th July 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: A Peterborough City councillor is querying why the Council has paid over £1 million to one company in just a month. Construction company Geoffrey Osborne Limited worked on the Cathedral and St Johns development, as well as doing work on the parkways and Northey Gravel Bridge. Liberal Democrat councillor Darren Fower wants to know exactly what work the company Geoffrey Osborne Limited did for the Council in January, and what the payments are for. Darren’s with us now. Morning Darren.
DARREN FOWER: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: How did you come across this information?
DARREN FOWER: It was while I was doing a little bit of reading up on how the City Council decided to ahnd the work for introducing solar panels on to the Town Hall building to a Leicestershire company. I happened to come across this openly local website, which does quite a good job at being open about the financial figures.
PAUL STAINTON: Right. So you’ve spoken to the Council, and asked them why they paid this company a million pounds in January. What’s been their response? Continue reading “Peterborough City Council and Geoffrey Osborne Limited”

Mark Edwards Peterborough Evening Telegraph Editor on Journalistic Integrity

08:08 Thursday 7th July 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: There’s no doubt what the top story is, the story that’s dominating all news agendas, all newspapers, and every media outlet. It’s the hacking story. .. Earlier we spoke to Ian Overton, editor of the Bureau of Investigate Journalism. He said he would never condone the practices, if they are proven to be true. (TAPE)
IAN OVERTON: Certainly there is a fine boundary of what do you cross to get the story. Now nobody has gone as far as phone-tapping something that affects the judicial process, and I think that’s one of the problems here. In the Milly Dowler case, there was an ongoing investigation, and phone-tapping occurred, and messages purportedly were deleted. Now that is obviously a significant issue, if it turns out to be true.(LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well yesterday the Prime Minister called the allegations of phone-hacking “absolutely disgusting”, and promised a full public inquiry. Let’s speak to Mark Edwards. He’s the editor of the Peterborough Evening Telegraph. Morning Mark
MARK EDWARDS: Morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: Newspapers under increasing pressure. We heard from Ian earlier this morning saying that part of the problem in his opinion is young people coming through, not learning the trade, thrust into the limelight, doing their work under extreme presure from espacially national newspaper editors to get the story. And they’re cutting corners. Continue reading “Mark Edwards Peterborough Evening Telegraph Editor on Journalistic Integrity”

Peterborough Car Parking Charges Rise Again

07:09 Tuesday 5th July 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: We’ll start with car parking charges in Peterborough, which have risen yet again. Some of Peterborough City Council’s own car parks have gone up by around 10%… Councillor Stephen Goldspink is on the line. Morning.
STEPHEN GOLDSPINK: Morning .. I do understand people’s concerns about the increase in charges. Every year the Council charges seem to go up across a range of services, and whilst I know the Council is in a difficult financial position, following a cut in Government grants, I always maintain there are always choices that the Council can make. And I’m not sure they make the best choices all of the time, when they’re talking about the “blend” of increasing charges and cutting expenditure.
PAUL STAINTON: And this is at a time when we’re trying to drive people into the city, we’re trying to drive businesses into the city. You run a local business. This is going to stop people parking, isn’t it? Continue reading “Peterborough Car Parking Charges Rise Again”

BBC Memes – The Great British Layabout

There is a meme presently circulating that the English are workshy. A great deal of political rhetoric and argument has been built up around this meme, and it is used to justify the current levels of immigration.

Here is a clip from a Timothy Samuels documentary called “The Poles are Coming.” The audio is slightly out of synch, but the words are clear. In it, a short-haired member of the public in blue and white is interviewed standing outside Peterborough JobCentre, opposite the Conservative Club, apparently drinking a can of alcohol. At the beginning of the clip the individual has his hands in his jacket pockets, and there is no sign of the can. Later he is seen to reach round and produce the can. At the end of the clip, he is seen signing a document. Continue reading “BBC Memes – The Great British Layabout”

Bribery in Business and the Role of the Anonymous Whistleblower

07:25 Friday 1st July 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

ANDY GALL: British businesses operating abroad are going to have to review almost everything they do from today, as the Bribery Act comes into force. The Act means that companies could face unlimited fines if they fail to prevent bribery, and there are fears that many firms are unprepared for the new rules. Julia Pittam has the details, and she joins us now. Good morning Julia.
JULIA PITTAM: Good morning Andy.
ANDY GALL: So bribery, what does the whole Act mean for businesses? Continue reading “Bribery in Business and the Role of the Anonymous Whistleblower”

Council Subsidy for PREL’s Cranfield Link-Up

07:21 Thursday 30th June 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

(Need to know on this story is that the Leader of Peterborough City Council Marco Cereste is also Chairman of the private company Peterborough Renewable Energy Limited.)

ANDY GALL: Should Peterborough City Council give financial support to universities who want to open learning centres in the city? Council chiefs have announced plans to pay Cranfield University a grant of £120,000. The money would be used to employ a Chair in Renewable Energy, who would then work with the Council, Cranfield and Opportunity Peterborough. Let’s find our more by speaking to John Richards, who’s the Executive Director of Children’s Services at Peterborough City Council. Joins us now. Good morning John. So how does this grant work? You’re planning to pay £120,000 to Cranfield University to fund this role and why.
JOHN RICHARDS: Right. Well I’m glad you’re interviewing me actually, because on previous occasions you’ve said to me, how are you going to increase the higher education offer in Peterborough, ie bring universities to Peterborough, and this is one of the ways which we are doing that. Now the Chair in Renewable Energy will be working in Peterborough with not only the City Council but with all the eco-environmental companies, and particularly with PREL. And the idea is that it brings doctorate masters students and they provide continous professional development for staff working in Peterborough. So it’s about upping the skills of Peterborough people. Now the actual cost of the Chair and all the accoutrements of a Chair of Renewable Energy is over £300,000. The City Council is only putting in £120,000, that’s £40,000 over three years, and the rest of the money is being put up by PREL. So this is a real partnership between business, the Council and the university. Continue reading “Council Subsidy for PREL’s Cranfield Link-Up”

Richard Jones from Barker Storey Matthews on Development in Peterborough

07:08 Friday 24th June 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Peterborough apparently needs more warehouses. It’s the view of a leading city businessman, who says he’s having enquiries from as far away as Felixstowe for warehouse space right here in Peterborough. Last month we revealed that Eddie Stobart, of coursem will be the first business to open a distribution centre in Great Haddon, this big development just to the South of Hampton. But the city’s MP Stewart Jackson said he wanted more  high-skilled jobs coming to Peterborough, and fewer warehouses. Richard Jones is the man who wants more warehouses, says we could do with a lot more warehouses, from Barker Storey Matthews. Morning Richard.
RICHARD JONES: Morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: So Stewart Jackson doesn’t know what he’s talking about, does he? Continue reading “Richard Jones from Barker Storey Matthews on Development in Peterborough”